Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School

Success Story

Customer: Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School

Country: New Zealand

Industry: Education

Takanini is a rapidly growing suburb of South Auckland, bounded on one side by open countryside and on the other by new housing developments. Population growth meant that a new primary school was needed and Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School opened in 2017. Its first year saw 56 pupils come through the doors, growing to 130 in 2018, a number that will continue to grow as the school fills its learning communities from year 1 to year 8.

An Establishment Board of Trustees was set up in 2015 to develop the school’s vision and values and Peta Lindstrom was appointed Principal in May 2016. “At that stage,” she explains, “there was no school infrastructure – no office, no community, no equipment, no IT. There was me, a table and a laptop in a temporary location. We didn’t even have a domain name or landline, so for the first two months, everything was run from my personal email and cell phone. There was a huge job ahead”.

Challenge:

Recognising that she would need help to set up the technology equipment needed, Peta called in Toshiba. She was aware of them from her previous job, and from their sponsorship of the Auckland Catholic Primary Principals Association. “Even as a first time principal,” she explains, “I knew that they were the people to go to for our printing, copying and scanning needs”.

Peta was impressed by the speed of Toshiba’s response and by the fact that they came and met with her to get a full understanding of the school’s specific requirements. “Their approach was very personalised, and they took time to build a relationship and really listen to our needs”, she says. “For example, we had very limited finances at the beginning, so they provided a demonstration multi-function printer (MFP) at no cost, just to get us up and running”.

"Their approach was very personalised, and they took time to build a relationship and really listen to our needs” - Peta Lindstrom, Principal.

“We didn’t feel we were getting a ‘one size fits all’ – the solution they proposed was designed specifically for us.” Peta also like the fact that Toshiba didn’t just look at current needs, but proposed a ‘future-proofed’ solution that would grow with the school.

Solution:

“Holy Trinity offers an innovative learning environment”, says Peta, “which is a collaborative approach, with teachers and students working in a variety of ways, giving children the opportunity to lead their own learning.

We have bigger spaces inclusive of withdrawal rooms and with up to 50 children and 2 teachers, different furniture and new ways of working. Technology is an essential supporting element of the environment, with students using Apple devices and the Google platform. Toshiba is very aware of new developments in educational approaches and how it can support them.”

“For example, our MFP devices are currently used by staff only, but we plan to make them available to students at a later stage, and we have the facility for them to scan to their Google account, or to themselves at home”, says Peta.

“Visiting the Toshiba demonstration centre, and seeing exactly what was possible for the future was a big eye-opener. Toshiba’s expertise, and their knowledge of the school market was invaluable.”

Results:

The school now has two Toshiba MFPs, and a single monthly lease payment covering equipment and consumables, keeps administration overheads to a minimum.

In summing up her experience of working with Toshiba, Peta says; “Relationship is so important. Toshiba has been very consistent. They didn’t lose touch once the project was complete – they have continued to be very helpful and reliable. We can ring them for advice or queries, and even now they drop in to see us or give us a ring to see how things are going. Their quality of service is huge.”

Having a strong technology partner is so important to us”, summarises Emmalise. “It means that we don’t have to employ someone in-house, yet we know we have the technology and support we need to help our lawyers, paralegals, administration and reception staff keep the business running smoothly. Working with Toshiba has made my life so much easier. I’m so glad we switched – it was a great decision”.